I never know how to answer this question. What is Indian food like anyway? There’s the food of South India, redolent of hot chilli and curry leaves. The food of the north uses more yogurt and less coconut milk. The Parsis, the Bengalis, the Gujeratis all have their specialities. So how similar is it to Sri Lankan food? The food of Kerala, based on rice flour and coconut has much more in common with the food of Sri Lanka than the food of Rajastan, where wheat is the staple. So in that sense, there is Indian food that’s a lot like Sri Lankan food. But is there even a such thing as Indian food? And what is Sri Lankan food anyway? Do you mean the food of the coast? The food of the north? The food of central highlands?

I really don’t know what Indian food is, and I certainly don’t pretend to be any expert on the regional cooking of India. Like most people, I’ve learned everything I know about “Indian” food from cookbooks, the Internet, and a few patient friends. This dinner, thrown together in honor of some fabulous halibut I got in Oregon, features what is a Bengali fish curry, according to Cyrus Todiwala. I cooked up a kidney bean curry to use some kidney beans we had boiled the previous week, and some cabbage, the way my mom would have made it (had we had curry leaves, dried chilli and Maldive fish–call it a minimalist Sri Lankan cabbage). Call it a pan-Indian supper, call it whatever you want, it was delicious.

Cut fish into bite-sized pieces. Sprinkle with turmeric and salt and set aside while you chop the onion. Pound garlic, ginger and green chilli together. Heat ghee in saucepan. Fry fish two minutes on one side and one minute on the other. Remove from pan. Fry onion briefly, add garlic-ginger paste. When onion is soft, add yogurt and cook until thick. (Warning: This is not the prettiest dish; the yogurt will curdle. Accept and move on. It tastes good.) Taste and adjust for salt.

Add fish to sauce and stir to coat. Bring sauce to simmer and cook one minute. Cover pan and remove from heat. Let sit for ten minutes. Garnish with cilantro.

5 responses to “The Discovery of India”

I absolutely LOVE a good fish curry. I never thought I would until I met my British husband (I’m American) and now I’m crazy for all types of Indian food. Interestingly, I usually take a break from eating Indian over the hot summer b/c w/ the spice and heaviness (I always over-indulge w/ it!), I feel like a heffer – and worse if it’s humid outside. In India, they live in the heat… I guess it just proves I’m not Indian. Great recipe.

I’m so happy to have stumbled upon your blog! I lived in Sri Lanka for three years (via the Peace Corps). I lived in Kandy for the first three months, then moved to Marawila for about 6; the remainder of my stay was spent in Rekawa, which is east of Tangalle. I miss the food dearly. I make parippu, pol saembol, and rotis fairly often, but there are so many things I can’t get here (NE U.S.) that I could get there. Lately I’ve been having a craving for jakfruit, cashew curry, and pumpkin curry. The family I lived with were fantastic cooks.

Amy, Actually, in South Asia, spicy food is supposed to help in the heat, as it induces sweating, thus cooling you off. The further north you go in India, the less spicy the food. These curries aren’t that spicy at all. As I was trying to point out in my post, there is a lot of variation in regional cuisine, so it doesn’t really make sense to speak of “Indian” curries as being spicy.

Anne, Welcome! Cashew and pumpkins should be readily available here. Jackfruit only in its canned incarnation, which is probably gross….

It definitely sounds delicious and you did a great job putting it together. I love the fish you used, I can imagine it took on the flavors of the rest of the dish perfectly :). We would like to feature your recipe on our blog and possibly our kitchen digital recipe reader. Please email me at sophiekiblogger@gmail.com if you’re interested. Have a lovely evening :).

About

Tisha is a Minneapolis-based amateur cook and photographer. She cooks food from all over the world and brings her culinary reflections and recipes to her readers.
Contact her at riceandspicecupboardATgmailDOTcom